The Sixth International Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Contamination in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Prague 2003) was conceived and organized by the Institute for International Cooperative Environmental Research (IICER) at the Florida State University. These international symposia, while focusing on the environmental contamination problems in Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of the CIS, also have direct relevance for countries outside of these regions. As with the five previous symposia in this series, Prague 2003 provided a forum for the exchange of technical information and a platform for initiating international cooperative efforts and partnerships for implementing cost-effective and innovative solutions to environmental problems worldwide. Initiated in 1992, these symposia have encouraged and facilitated the transfer of technologies, the exchange of information and, most importantly, interactions among agencies, institutions and individuals that are essential if these environmental problems are to be solved.

The Symposium Chairs would like to express their appreciation to the many individuals and organizations responsible for making Prague 2003 a highly successful international event. A special acknowledgement is extended to Holcim Ltd. for their support of the Student Scholarships and Symposium Fellowships at the Prague 2003 Symposium. It was through this generous support that 300 students and scholars from 23 countries could participate at this international event.

These symposia have been conducted every two years since 1992 and it is anticipated that the next symposium/exhibition will be organized in a major city in Europe.

The proceedings of the Prague 2003 Symposium contain a compilation of the platform and poster presentations presented during the Prague 2003 Symposium. The manuscripts appear as they were submitted by the authors (i.e., no editing was done to the manuscripts). Questions or comments concerning individual manuscripts should be sent to the authors directly.